Sinn Féin - On Your Side

Policy document sets out opposition to the ethos underlining the waste management policies north and south - Morgan

Sinn Féin spokesperson on the Environment, Heritage and Local Government
this evening commended a draft Sinn Féin policy document on Waste Management
to the party's Ard Fheis. Deputy Morgan told delegates that the policy
document sets out Sinn Féin's opposition to the ethos underlining the waste
management policies north and south.

Deputy Morgan said

"This policy document commits Sinn Féin to promoting a sustainable waste
management policy which is in the best interest of both the environment and
the economy. It puts forward progressive, sustainable solutions to the
waste management crisis which are based on the promotion of strategies at
the top of the waste hierarchy (reduction, reuse, recycle).

"This policy document sets out our opposition to the ethos underlining the
waste management policies north and south. It outlines our recommendations
for a change of direction for waste management away from policies based on
burying and burning of waste. It promotes the view that waste is a
resource. It sets out a number of actions based on this premise, which
central government and local authorities must take if society is to change
its relationship with waste.

"It commits our party to defending the right of all people to a safe, clean
and unpolluted environment. It reiterates our full opposition to
incineration.

„The policies put forward in this document seek to bring about reduction in
the amount of waste being created by facilitating, enabling and motivating
householders and the corporate sector in order to bring about behavioural
change.

"The Government in the South is not committed to addressing the waste
management crisis. The recycling infrastructure remains totally inadequate.
The government has stood idly by as recycling enterprises such as the Irish
Glass Bottle Factory in Ringsend Dublin and the Smurfit paper recycling mill
in Clonskeagh have gone out of business. They have failed to introduce
regulations to incentivise the creation of a market for recyclables.
Sections 28 and 29 of the Waste Management Act 1996 make provision for the
introduction of a wide array of regulations to bring about the reduction of
packaging waste. Yet the government will not introduce such regulations.

"There is so much that can be done and that is not being done by those in
government to resolve the current waste management problems plaguing this
country. There are countless examples of good practice internationally
where levels of recycling and re-use, which some in this state tell us
cannot be achieved, are achieved. The truth is that neither the government
in this state nor the direct rule ministers in the north have any commitment
to bringing about the radical change that is necessary in relation to waste
management. We believe that Ireland must develop sustainable solutions to
the country‚s waste management crisis based on the wealth of information
from many developed waste reduction programmes operating internationally. I
commend the policy document to the Ard Fheis.|"

Deputy Morgan also took time during his contribution to put on record Sinn
Féin‚s support for communities in Carronstown, Co. Meath. Ringaskiddy, Co.
Cork and Rinsgend in Dublin who are campaigning against the imposition of
incinerators. ENDS